Men of the Church

Fathers

The Father Absence Crisis in America

Fatherless Stats

There are multiple factors that lead to these outcomes. Our topic today addresses one of them. When we see problems in the world we can be assured that God has a solution. We can turn to his word and choose to do things his way. Today we turn to the men of the church. One of the core issues in dealing with the fatherlessness in our culture is that the character of man is corrupt. Men of the church are to be different. We are to be a solution not a contributing factor. But how do we accomplish this as a community of believers?

Let’s open our Bibles to Titus chapter 2. We will be reading verses 2-6 and we will be focused this week on verse 2&6 and we will look more intently at verses 3-5 next week as they deal with the Women of the Chruch.

Titus 2:2–6 ESV

2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.

The goal of the book of Titus:

Moving the church towards godliness and good works.

Last week we talked about Titus 2:11-14

Titus 2:11–14 ESV

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

These verses gave us four steps in God’s work on his church

God fixes our mess

God changes our lives

God fills us with hope

God refits us for good works

Older Men Refit by God for Good Works

Titus 2:2 ESV

2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

Sober-minded

Temperate

Not given to the overindulgence or extremes of the world.

Dignified

Worthy of Respect

godly character

Self-Controlled

1 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

Sound in Faith, in Love, in steadfastness

Something that is sound is unshakable. These men are resolute in the faith. They are consistent in their love. They are committed to Christ and his Kingdom in all things.

These are the kind of men that God is shaping in this church.

As older men, you are called to make disciples. You are called mentor the younger men of the church. Paul is writing as an older man to a younger man Timothy. This model of living out our faith and pouring it into others is what keeps one generation from flourishing only to watch the next fall apart.

1 Timothy 5:1 ESV

1 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers,

This is the picture of the relationship that older men have to younger men in the church. The younger ought to respect the older. The older men ought to act as godly fathers to the younger men and set an example.

Let’s turn our attention to the younger men.

Younger Men Refit by God for Good Works

Titus 2:6 ESV

6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.

Proverbs 1:8–9 ESV

8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, 9 for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.

Don’t hang with the wrong crowd

Proverbs 1:10 ESV

10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

Love your Neighbor

Proverbs 3:27–33 ESV

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you. 29 Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, 32 for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence. 33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.

Do not chase after lust

Proverbs 5:1–6 ESV

1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, 2 that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. 3 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, 4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; 6 she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.

The Proverbs are full of these examples.

How does our Church live this out?

Be in relationship with each other.

Gather together for prayer on Saturday.

Do work together.

Worship together.

I want to commend and encourage our men. Yesterday our prayer time was a beautiful picture of these things.